


shifting tides

by CapriciousCrab



Series: what lies beneath [3]
Category: Phandom/The Fantastic Foursome (YouTube RPF)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Captivity, Lima Syndrome, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-01-11
Packaged: 2019-10-08 08:29:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,589
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17383166
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CapriciousCrab/pseuds/CapriciousCrab
Summary: Phil's declining health has Dan struggling with new, uncomfortable feelings.





	shifting tides

 

He sits alone, lost in thought as the summer sea rages against the door. The tides are shifting and soon it will be time to nest.  
  
He thinks of his creature and of the way his pet lays quiet and still in his room at the end of the hall, his once nervous pacing having given way to a despondent lethargy. Dan can sense that something fundamental has changed but puzzles over what it could be.  
  
It's been weeks now since their confrontation. His pet had woken the day after with a bruise from Dan's hand and the sparkle gone from his eyes. No timid smiles, no curious if cautious questions. Nothing but a sad resignation remains, snuffing out that bright spark of humanity that had drawn Dan to him so strongly.  
  
Dan rises and makes his way to the cold room that’s filled now with silence. He tells himself it's because he wants to play and not because he is suddenly struck by the image of his pet disintegrating like sea foam upon the waves. He moves a bit faster until he's at the door, his tail swishing in agitation behind him. He pushes it open and moves through, his eyes seeking out the sight of his plaything.  
  
He's laying upon his pallet with his face to the wall. His beautiful tail has gone dull; the once brilliant blue-green scales now muted and washed out. Pet rolls heavily onto his back to stare at Dan with dull, lifeless eyes. Accusing eyes.  
  
Sad, helpless eyes.  
  
Dan frowns when he sees how pale his pet has become, his stomach twisting with feelings unpleasant.  
  
“Hello, little fish."  
  
He finds himself unwittingly softening his voice, careful not to startle the creature before him. “Come. Let's go to the Great Room.”  
  
Phil lurches from his bed, movements clumsy and heavy, and it makes Dan frown once again at the sight of it.  
  
What little color remaining in Phil's face drains away at the sight of Dan's scowl as he makes his way to the door. He stands before him and waits for further instruction, silent and completely cowed.  
  
The twisting in Dan’s stomach becomes a painful knot as he stares at the bent head before him. He doesn’t understand this ache and so watches Pet carefully as if he holds the secret to this puzzle. They move down the hall and into the room and settle; Dan in his chair and his pet at his feet. The weak bioluminescence casts an artificial shine to the dull black hair at his knee, and he doesn’t resist the urge he has to reach out and stroke his hand over it.  
  
The man at his feet startles at the touch but voices no protest. They sit this way for a time, Dan petting the soft strands in contemplative silence.  
  
“What was your name?” he asks softly, wrapping his finger around a section of hair that has drifted up with the current. It amazes him how soft it is even in the harsh seawater.  
  
“Phil. M-my name is Phil.”  
  
“You haven't been well, Phil,” he says, keeping his voice low and soft. He's curious about him and the life he once lived above the waves. And maybe… maybe he can repair this damage he has done.  
  
He continues, keeping his touch light and gentle. Phil has relaxed slightly, the tension draining from his stiff shoulders and defensive posture easing a bit.  
  
“You are not eating, Phil. Do the land-dwellers not eat fish?”  
  
Phil huffs a tiny laugh, and the sound fills Dan with curious warmth. He's distracted by the feeling, only coming aware when he senses Phil's mood change once again.  
  
“…but the fish up there didn't have faces or innards. And I didn't have these.” Phil lifts his hand to his mouth, pressing against his sharp teeth in dismay. “Everything is so different now."  
  
“Are you unhappy, Phil, with this transformation? There have been many changes for you.”  
  
Phil spins around to look up at him from his position on the floor. His eyes are wide and apprehensive as if he's afraid that Dan might lash out in anger.  
  
He finally answers, his voice a quiet murmur. “It scares me. You scare me.”  
  
Phil twists back around and settles once more into his spot at Dan's feet. He rests his head against Dan’s knee as he drifts into a restless silence, leaving Dan to grapple with these confusing thoughts and uncomfortable feelings.  
  
*  
  
The morning finds him attempting to remove the heads from the fish in the hopes of appeasing his pet. Phil, he thinks, as he uses a claw to scoop out the parts he'd been so repulsed by. He must remember to use his land name. He snarls a bit as he wrestles with the fish that’s now missing the tastiest bits, slipping about in his hands. He slaps it down on the plate and works on another, determined that his Phil should eat well today.  
  
He opens the door to Phil's room and stops at the threshold. Phil is still abed, eyes closed and skin pallid. Dan watches as a great shiver wracks his body and frowns. Where is his covering, the woven net of seaweed to keep him warm? But as he looks around the room, he realizes that Phil has no comforts at all.  
  
No pillow for his bed. No reeds upon the floor. Not even anything for his amusement, just a cold room and empty walls. He can never nest with this room as it is and Dan feels his lack in providing for his creature keenly.  
  
He chews on his lip for a moment. “Phil” he calls, “Tis morning tide.”  
  
He had thought he'd spoken quietly but Phil’s eyes snap open as he jolts on the bed. He watches as Phil scrambles back to place himself against the wall, panting with exertion. His eyes are glued to Dan standing there frozen at the door, tray in hand. They stare at each other in silence for a moment or two before Dan moves into the room. He places the tray down on the small desk and waits for Phil to join him.  
  
“I have brought your morning meal. Come, won’t you sit and eat?” he cajoles, gesturing toward the plate with his hand.“It's good and fresh; fine little fish I caught for you myself this morn.”  
  
He watches as Phil glances between him and the desk before rising to join him. His scales are even duller today and he feels a jolt of unease at the continued signs of poor health.  
  
Phil seats himself at the table, staring at his plate in befuddled silence before looking up at Dan with a questioning gaze.  
  
He feels oddly nervous as if he were standing before the old gods awaiting judgment for his many misdeeds. “You said you did not care for the face and soft insides, so I removed them. Is-is it not to your liking?”  
  
Phil looks nonplussed for a moment as he pokes at the headless, gutless fish before him. Then he looks up at Dan and flashes him a sweet grin, all sharp teeth and hint of tongue. It’s the first time he's ever seen such an expression on Phil's face and it makes him feel as if his throat is closing.  
  
“Thank you, Dan," Phil says softly. “That was kind of you.”  
  
Dan tips his head in a tiny nod, careful to keep his expression even. “Mayhap you will find your meals more to your liking this way.”  
  
Phil's still looking at him with that soft smile and even softer eyes, a little spark of life lighting them up in a way Dan hasn’t seen before. It makes him feel strange; warm in ways he doesn't understand, and he finds himself grinning a toothy smile in return.  
  
Then Phil’s hand is on his face, finger jabbing into Dan's cheek. “Oh, a dimple!” he exclaims with a laugh. “How cute!”  
  
He stands frozen for a moment before moving back and away from Phil's enthusiastic poking. There are things swirling in his belly, dangerous and terrifying. Things that make him yearn; to reach out and take, to glut himself on the warmth of _his_ smile, to slake this growing desire on his body. But he can't.  
  
He must not.  
  
So he shoves down that yearning and draws himself up, letting that warmth and happiness float away. It was never his to have anyway.  
  
“You will eat everything on your plate before joining me in the Great Room. Do not dally, or it will not go well for you.”  
  
The smile falls from Phil's lips at the severity of his words and he mourns the loss of it. He moves to the door and finds himself looking back, helplessly drawn to Phil's face. He can't abide the downtrodden expression that sits there once more and finds himself opening his mouth, a single word slipping past.  
  
“Please.”  
  
He slams the door behind him and leans against it briefly, exhaling a shaky breath before moving down the hall.  
  
*  
  
Inside the room, Phil chews in quiet contemplation. Something is happening, he thinks to himself as he wipes his mouth. He stands and crosses to the door, fingers trembling slightly as he rests them on the handle. He takes a calming breath and then another before squaring his shoulders. He doesn’t know what to expect, doesn’t quite understand the change he senses in Dan but he's ready, he thinks.  
  
Ready to follow these shifting tides.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> you can reblog [here](https://capriciouscrab.tumblr.com/post/181925768100/shifting-tides-rating-t-words-15k) if you'd like


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